


The Desert Fox

by Marcus_Aurelius



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Aftermath, Alternate Universes, Angst, Anxiety, Arguing, Assassination Plot(s), Bad Guys Doing Bad Guy Things, Being Lost, Bewilderment, Blood and Gore, Constant Work In Progress, Contemplation, Crucifixion, Drama, Dream Sex, Drinking & Talking, Epilogue, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gladiators, Happy Ending, Heart-to-Heart, Heartache, Loneliness, Mass Murder, Massacre, Masturbation, Melancholy, Mind Games, Never Completed, People Watching, Philosophy, Porn with Feelings, Post Second Battle of Hoover Dam, Psychological Drama, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Religion, Sad Ending, Scourging, Self-Acceptance, Self-Destruction, Self-Hatred, Some Porn With Plot, Suicide, Survival Instincts, Talking, Tension, Threats, Torture, Tragedy, Trauma, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Vulpes Prompts, Watching Someone Sleep, Wet Dream, intimate sex, planning, reassurance, romantic sex, venting, watching sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 18:22:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8171372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marcus_Aurelius/pseuds/Marcus_Aurelius
Summary: A series of Vulpes oneshots, all with varying Couriers and stories.Written and gifted to two of my favorite Vulpes authors.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Trystero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trystero/gifts), [CircuitousWays](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CircuitousWays/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Synthesis](https://archiveofourown.org/works/967550) by [Trystero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trystero/pseuds/Trystero). 



> If you have any Vulpes related prompts that you would like me to write, feel free to leave them in the comments section. Seriously, any ideas you may have, crossovers included, feel free to let me know.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two days after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, a battle weary Courier finds a lost and wounded Vulpes in Nipton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "To Build A Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra

Danny slowly walked down the battered road, wiping sweat from her brow as she warily entered the junk surrounded, ghost filled town. She looked up to see a small wisp of smoke trail into the sky, the only sign of life in the dead town. She sighed, anxiety flooding through her as her pace slowed. She took in the sight of the crows, of the long since gone out tire fires, of the skulls mounted on spikes. She stopped to stare, memories flooding back to her. Memories of a wicked smile, of the stench of death, of crimson flags. She looked to her right, taking in the broken down houses, her gaze lingering on the bleached skeletons nailed and tied to the posts in front of the ruined buildings.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw a figure hunched over a fire in front of the town hall, their body silhouted by the glare of the sun. She took a small step forward, her heart hammering in her chest. The figure's back straightened and they turned to look, almost as if they sensed her. She froze, her gaze meeting theirs as they struggled to stand. She hesitantly stepped towards him until they could see each other clearly. His grey eyes met her brown ones, and she struggled to keep her composure.

Danny took in the sight of him, her face scrunching in worry as she saw the blood soaked bandages wrapped around his chest. His usually sharp and gleaming eyes were dull and filled with what she read as resentment. His skin was pale, and his face was drenched in sweat. He looked haggard, burns and cuts littering his arms and legs. His kilt hung low on his hips, his ripper hanging even lower in its scabard. He swayed a little and she reached out instinctually. His mouth contorted into a snarl and his hand gripped the handle of his ripper, his knuckles white as she stepped back in fear.

"Look who it is," he said darkly. "The NCR bitch, come to finish what she started."  
Danny looked at him, her heart thundering in her chest.  
"The NCR are gone, Vulpes," she whispered back.

He turned away from her, deep in thought as he contemplated this revelation. He began to pace, staring off into the distance and she watched him warily.  
He eventually stopped and turned to face her, a deep sadness visible in his eyes and his shoulders slumped in defeat.  
"Are you here to kill me?" He asked softly, bitterness bleeding into his words.

She shook her head, stepping towards him again. Her eyes shined and her voice trembled softly.  
"I'm here to give you options."  
He scoffed at that: "Options? I don't have options anymore; you saw to that."  
His voice was cruel and bitter as he glared at her.

She trembled, the man in front her a stranger compared to the man she had known just days before. He looked lost to her, his eyes filled with an endless hurt that she knew she couldn't begin to fathom. She realized then that he was right; that she had done the cruelest thing possible, destroying everything he was and everything he could have been. She had slaughtered his loved ones, had wiped his existence from the face of the earth. And he had no where else to go.

Shame filled her, and she stared at the ground, struggling to find a way to fix things.  
"You could come with me," she said softly. "You could come live in The Lucky 38, help me run the Mojave. I can't do it by myself, I'm not that smart."  
Vulpes looked at her, his eyes softening as his own voice took on a sort of melancholic tone.

"The people of the Mojave hate me. They would hate you. I won't take what you've rightfully earned. Please don't ask me to. And besides...you've already got plenty of friends that could help you. You don't need me."  
Danny let out a quiet sob at that, her body shaking. Vulpes turned his eyes away, afraid of seeing her in her grief.

"Please..." she begged.  
"I can't," he responded, his voice a whisper. He looked up at the sky, watching the crows as they flew overhead.  
Danny quietly tried to calm herself, wiping at her eyes before she looked back up at him.

"Where will you go?"  
Vulpes shrugged as he began to pace once again.  
"I don't know," he said, his voice thoughtful. "To be honest, I was hoping I would be dead by now. I can't go east; I'll be branded a coward. I can't go north; bad memories as well as Graham holding a righteous grudge. There's nothing but death southward. And there's no way in hell I'm going west."

He held his hands out in a sort of "what-can-you-do-?" gesture.  
Danny stared at the ground, her eyes glazed over as she struggled to think through his words, trying to come up with a solution.  
She struggled, stomping her foot in agitation as she saw no answer. He stared at her warily, sadness creeping back into his demeanor.

Danny avoided his eyes, instead opting to stare off at the horizon as she thought. The sun was dipping lower and lower, creating streaks of purple and orange through the sky. She realized she would have to stay the night in Nipton, whether she wanted to or not. She huffed, looking back down at Vulpes. He was sitting by his fire again, staring off into the flames, lost in his own thoughts. She casually stepped over to the opposite side and sat down, studying him.

The firelight was reflecting off of his eyes and she couldn't help remembering how beautiful she thought they had looked when they met again in New Vegas. She had felt so drawn to him, unable to feel the horror of his atrocities in Nipton strike her until after they had gone their separate ways.  
Later, when she had been sitting on the edge of her bed and playing with the Mark that Vulpes had given her, she came to the realization that she couldn't hate him for what he had done, as much as she would have liked to. He had just been following orders after all, and it wasn't like the NCR hadn't had their fair share of atrocities in the past. It was how she had come to the decision that neither the NCR or Legion could be trusted to run the Mojave. However, she hadn't counted on the consequences of her choices. Boone had walked out on her, heading West with the retreating NCR military, and now Vulpes was the equivalent of a lost outlaw to all sides.  
He had been made for greatness, having been in the line of succession, and she had taken that from him. She had taken his chance at higher glory, not to mention metaphorically stomping on what honor he had once had. All of this because she had felt a sense of what she now recognized as foolish, ignorant, and arrogant self-righteousness. She didn't know the first thing about running a nation, Vulpes did. Who was she to take that from the man she loved?  
Danny stared at him as an idea struck her with the previous realization. She scooted over next to him, his blonde hair swaying in the wind as he looked at her with curious eyes.

"I don't know the first thing about running a nation, or a government," she began. "You do."  
Vulpes quirked an eyebrow. "And?"  
Danny took a deep breath before continuing, anxiety flooding her.  
"Teach me. Please."

Vulpes looked away from her, staring into the fire as he thought. She stared at him, her nervousness increasing the longer he took to answer. The sun had begun to fall below the hills, violet mixed with sky blue and fire like orange streaking across the sky in beautiful patterns.

Eventually, Vulpes finally looked at her, his voice rough with emotion.  
"What did you do with Caesar's body?"  
The question caught Danny off guard. She stared at him as she tried to process his words, but he was speaking again before she could answer.  
"Did you let the NCR take it?"

Danny shook her head. "I had it sent back to Flagstaff. I had all the Legion bodies we found sent back to Flagstaff."  
Vulpes stared at her, confusion etched on his face. "Why?"  
Danny returned his stare, her eyes sad. "Because everyone deserves the chance to bury their dead, Vulpes."

Vulpes nodded thoughtfully. Her answer made sense to him, and he felt better knowing his comrades were receiving a proper burial. He turned to her, and she saw some of the former shine in his eyes return.  
"You have to promise me something if I teach you."

"Anything," she whispered.  
Vulpes gave his signature wolfish grin, and Danny felt her cheeks burn.  
"You have to leave me the gun," he stated, and Danny stared at him, sadness sweeping through her. She looked away from him then, and he stared at her as she let her thoughts swallow her. She gazed into the fire, fighting with her thoughts and emotions, before swearing to herself that she wouldn't take this away from him, too. Resigned to her decision, she faced him again, meeting his expectant gaze with her teary eyes.  
"Okay," she whispered.

Danny started the recorder on her Pipboy before resting her head on his shoulder. Vulpes immediately began speaking, telling her of all the things he had learned in Caesar's Legion, as well as the things he had learned from reading old world books and from listening to pre-war holotapes.  
The two of them sat like that for a long time, staring into the fire as it died, while Vulpes spoke and Danny listened. The sun had set and the two were enveloped by a peaceful night, absorbed in each other's company as they lost track of time and their surroundings.

Danny focused on the sound of Vulpes voice, trying to burn the feel of his skin against hers into her memory. Vulpes lost himself in his own memories as he spoke and his eyes gained a forlorn look.  
She kissed his shoulder every once and a while as he spoke, and he would always pause before taking a shaky breath to continue. The night continued on like that, and they spoke of what he had learned as well as everything that had happened to them. The night continued on, and it was near morning when words failed them and they crawled into his bedroll, lost in each other's embrace.

 

* * *

 

Danny wiped the tears from her face as she set the shovel down, the sun beating down on her back. She welcomed the breeze that blew through, the cool air helping her as she tried to calm her breathing. She looked around, surveying the area around Goodsprings Cemetery. She had come to memorize all the visible landmarks, once calling Goodsprings home.  
She was broken out of her reverie as she felt a capped head nudge her leg and a small whimper come from Rex. She bent down, scratching behind his ears as he licked away the trails her tears had left on her checks. A deep and sad loneliness flooded through her and she hugged the cyberdog as she began to cry again, her eyes flooding with tears and her chest racked with sobs. She felt a tender hand on her shoulder and looked up with blurry eyes to see Sunny Smiles looking down at her with a worried frown.

"I'm so sorry, Danny," she said. Danny stood up and hugged Sunny tightly, her cries muffled by the redhead's shoulder.  
"I loved him," Danny whispered, as she pulled herself away from Sunny, her eyes fixed on the recently covered grave in front of her. She watched as Rex picked up the sheathed ripper she had laid by the gravestone. He walked back to her with it his mouth, his head cocked to the side and a small whine emitting from deep in his chest. Danny held out her hand, waiting for Rex to place it in her palm before she clipped it onto her belt. He would have wanted her to have it.  
She looked up again, Sunny's arm wrapped around her shoulder in a comforting hug. Danny's hand rested on Rex's head as she stared at the newly marked headstone. A small, red bull was painted above his name.

Sadness threatened to overwhelm Danny again, and she turned away, letting Sunny lead her down the hill to where Veronica, Cass, and Arcade waited with worry etched in their faces. Danny tried to stand taller, tried to conquer the sadness she felt. She needed to be strong. For them. For the Mojave. She wouldn't let Vulpes die for nothing.

And so, as Danny embraced her waiting friends, she swore that she would utilize the invaluable knowledge he had left her. She would make the Mojave a better place. She would make it a home again.

**Author's Note:**

> Any constructive criticism or comments in general are appreciated. Hope you all enjoyed.


End file.
